Norfolk resident honored with scholarship

Monday

Oct 30, 2017 at 1:06 PMOct 30, 2017 at 1:07 PM

NORFOLK — Boston Marathon bombing survivors Patrick Downes and Jessica Kensky awarded the first scholarship from a fund created by Downes’ Boston College classmates to a BC student who has overcome a physical disability.

The first recipient of the Boston College Strong Scholarship was BC sophomore Jack Manning, from Norfolk, a student in the Carroll School of Management. Manning, who lost his leg to cancer 10 years ago, volunteers to support and mentor young cancer patients who face the prospect of losing limbs.

Married just seven months, Downes and Kensky were injured by the bombs that exploded near the marathon finish line on Boylston Street in 2013. Both lost a leg as a result of the injuries. Kensky would lose her remaining leg to amputation 18 months later.

Downes’ many friends from the BC Class of 2005 responded by raising money for a scholarship to honor them for their example. Thus far, nearly 1,000 supporters have raised approximately $400,000. Manning, chosen as the first recipient, will receive financial support from the scholarship fund that will help cover his four years of study at Boston College.

Manning was diagnosed with osteosarcoma when he was eight years old, and endured months of chemotherapy before being told that he would lose his left leg to the illness. Doctors performed a procedure called rotationplasty, whereby a surgeon removed his cancerous tumor along with a section of his leg around the knee before reattaching the lower part of his leg, backwards, to his thigh. Undaunted, he went on to play football and baseball at Roxbury Latin School, while actively serving as a role model for young cancer patients and their families. He has participated in the Pan Mass Challenge both as a volunteer and rider, twice completing the 192-mile race and raising more than $135,000 for cancer research. At BC, he maintains a 3.75 GPA while working 12 hours per week in Hillside Dining Hall.